Spelling Bee Mania Sweeps North Idaho | Schools

C-y-m-o-t-r-i-c-h-o-u-s... Cymotrichous! That's the winning word from the 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee. When I was in, I think 3rd grade I misspelled “floor” in my classroom spelling bee and was crushed (I spelled it f-l-o-u-r). Cymotrichous!?!?! Are you kidding me?!? (Cymotrichous, by the way, means having wavy hair.)

North Idaho students refused to be crushed! Panhandle area schools are holding spelling bees this month, to weed out qualifiers for the North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee, scheduled for Saturday, March 17 at North Idaho College. The winner of the regional bee will receive an all-expense paid trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in June, courtesy of bee sponsor Hagadone Newspapers.

A total of 52 schools in 11 districts (including public, private and home school students across the five northern counties of Idaho) are involved in this year’s spelling bee, according to North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee Coordinator Mindy Patterson of NIC. About 55 students are expected to participate in the ninth annual event.

District bees:

Kootenai School District

2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13

Harrison Elementary (elementary)

Kootenai Jr/Sr. High School (6th-8th grades)

St. Maries School District

9 a.m. (fourth grade) and 10:30 a.m. (fifth grade) Friday, Jan. 20

Heyburn Elementary School

8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 20 (6th-8th grades)

St. Maries Middle School

North Idaho Home Educators Association

10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 21

Grace Bible Church in Coeur d’Alene

Boundary County School District

11:50 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 21 (elementary)

Bonners Ferry Free Methodist Church

(The middle school bees have already been held)

West Bonner County School District

6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23

Priest River Elementary

Lakeland School District

6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25

Twin Lakes Elementary

Coeur d’Alene School District

7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26

Coeur d’Alene High School

Kellogg School District

7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26

Pinehurst Elementary School

Lake Pend Oreille School District

5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26

Sandpoint High School

Plummer-Worley Joint School District

9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26

Lakeside Elementary School

Private School Spelling Bee

(including Christian Center School, Coeur d’Alene Christian School, House of the Lord Christian Academy and Lutheran Academy of the Master)

9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26

Lutheran Academy of the Master in Coeur d’Alene